With DP still in approval stage, BMC discusses budget provision for 2017-18

While the political wing of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been delaying the nomination of corporators for setting up a committee to hear citizens’ suggestions and objections, the administrative wing has prepared its first-year plan for 2017-18 to implement the draft Development Plan (DP) 2034, which is, strangely, still in the approval stage.

A monthly meeting led by civic chief Ajoy Mehta has deliberated on the first year budgetary allocation and estimated Rs4,554 crore for 2017-18.

“The civic chief has instructed us to focus on the DP while drafting the budgetary allocations and also asked us to review the plots which are vacant and can be developed on priority,” said one of the ward officers.

The civic body has earmarked Rs14,15,320 crore for the 20-year infrastructure plan, of which Rs91,080 crore will come from the civic body’s budget. The accommodation reservation (AR) policy, under which landowners will be incentivised to develop civic amenities, is likely to fund the rest of the DP outlay.

The poor implementation of the past two plans — 18% of DP 1967 and 33% of DP 1967 — has prompted the BMC to advance budgetary consultations for 2017-18, officials have said.

“We have made the AR policy more deliverable, which allows plot owner to get maximum benefit by handing over our reserved space. This will help us achieve maximum reservations and we can also fund the DP through it, instead of paying for the land use. We aim at getting 80% funding for land acquisition through the AR policy,” an official privy to the DP process has said.

A team of DP department officials and urban planners have chalked out four five-year plans, with a further break-up of each five-year plan into an annual one. The team will focus on the AR policy to acquire land for developing civic amenities.

The implementation of annual plans will, officials claim, will create more social and public amenities compared to the DP 1991. The BMC has kept Solid Waste Management facilities on the high priority list as majority of the development will take place on its own plot .

The civic body will develop its plots which are lying vacant and have a reservation marked on it as per DP 1991. In the first annual plan, the civic body will undertake road widening plans along with grants and assistance to maintain new civic amenities.